Riviere de Galets Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey, Rusty here. We’re looking at a pretty long stretch of surf possibilities at Riviere de Galets, but honestly, it’s a mixed bag to start. The first few days are only going to offer marginal waves at best, so you might want to leave the board in the car for a bit. The real standout action starts around the middle of next week.

Let’s break it down. From Wednesday the 12th through to Friday the 14th, we’ve got knee-to-waist high swell (around 6 ft to 7 ft) coming from the east with a moderate 11-second period. The winds are cross-shore and light, so it’s not completely blown out, but the wave comment flags the conditions as marginal, and the energy is moderate (1705 to 1959). It’s just not really doing much. The water temperature is 25°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, about 2° above average.

Things start to get interesting on Saturday the 15th. The wind picks up to a moderate breeze from the east-southeast, but the big story is the incoming swell. Saturday morning, the swell jumps to 6 ft from the south, with a very long period of 21 seconds, giving it strong wave energy (5125). This is proper groundswell. That long period means it’s best for this reef and point setup, but the wind is still cross-shore, so you’ll have a bit of chop to contend with.

Then on Saturday afternoon, it gets real. Swell barrels up to 10 ft from the south-southwest, still with a 19-second period and a massive 7511 energy reading. This is a true standout. The conditions are nearly right, but honestly, at 10 ft, this is only for well-prepared experts. The wind is cross-shore, not clean offshore. For the average surfer, this might be too big, and it’ll be a powerful, long-period machine that needs respect.

Sunday the 16th keeps that big swell going – another 10 ft in the morning from the south-southwest, 17-second period, energy of 4600. Still big, still only for the experienced. By the afternoon, it drops back to 8 ft, but the wind goes cross-on and it gets choppy, so the window loses its shine.

From Monday the 17th through to Wednesday the 19th, conditions degrade. The wind stays moderate to fresh, and the swell drops in size and energy. The wave comments say “poor surf conditions” or “marginal,” with scores dropping to zero for most of these days. Not worth paddling out.

We get a brief touch of hope on Thursday the 20th with a light breeze and a 4 ft south swell, but it’s onshore and the energy is weak (784). It’s a no-go.

After that, there’s another gap of poor to marginal conditions right through to Saturday the 22nd, where the swell pops back up to 7 ft and 10 ft on Saturday, but with heavy cross-on winds and “poor surf conditions”. Then, on Sunday the 23rd, there’s a decent shot: the morning has a light cross-shore breeze and an 8 ft SSW swell (13 seconds, 2305 energy). That’s promising, but the afternoon gets chopped up again.

The final week, from the 24th to the 27th, is a mixed run of marginal conditions with a fresh breeze and lumpy chop, with a couple of 7 ft to 7 ft SSW swells. It’s wobbly at best.

So, if you’re asking me, the one true standout is Saturday afternoon (15th August) – a massive 10 ft SSW groundswell with epic energy (7511). It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s only for experts. Saturday morning is also very good for the size, but still cross-shore. The Sunday morning (16th) is another big one, but again, it’s a high-tide expert session. Everything else is either too small, too choppy, or marginal.

This is a reef and point break, so it can handle the long-period stuff better than a beach break, but don’t expect clean, glassy conditions – the wind nearly always has some cross or cross-on component. Also, with crowds listed as ‘sometimes’, don’t be surprised to see a few others out when it’s pumping.

Catch you on the next one.
Rusty

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